http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/football/teams/c/coventry_city/newsid_856000/856399.stm

I'd have paid that for him.....

Laugh if you want but I reckon he's a class act if he can stay injury free.....

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000

Answers

Still cant believe TDM didnt go for him-instead we got Maric. Nice one....

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000

Isn't this the same #13m player that Taggart wouldn't pay #1m for last year and who he claimed was good enough for the Newton Heath Reserves.........bad call Taggart, bad call.....he he!

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000

Good for Robbie! Hurts even more that we didn't get him. I just hope it's not too soon for him to make such a move. He certainly has the talent. I just hope he's not left kicking his heels on the bench too much.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000

We bought Maric during the 1998-99 season (you may remember him setting up Shearer's second in the Semi against Spurs at Old Trafford) and Keane wasn't sold until the start of last season. We went for Kieron Dyer instead.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2000

Yes Softie but as far as i remember, Keane was been watched etc that season+being linked to various clubs.It wasnt till the next that someone offered big enough bucks.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2000

Doh........I wrote: >>>>>and who he claimed was good enough for the Newton Heath Reserves<<<<

Which of course should have said "and who he claimed was NOT good enough for the Newton Heath Reserves"

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2000

He wasn't available until he turned down the extension offer at Wolves and was placed on the transfer list. Watching was the only option when we signed Maric. If you need a reason why we weren't in the running for Keane it had far more to do with not being able to shift the 26k and 10+k per week from the wages bill in the forms of Lee and Dabizas. The orders from the board were totally clear on that: shift before you buy. Nobody wanted the shit (same as they don't now; we bought out Perez and Robinson and Hamilton are still very much here) so you have to sell people someone else might actually want but who aren't integral to your long term plans.

With the rosy glow of hindsight we know that Ferguson would have ended up at centre half since every central defender bar Dabizas got injured, and the midfield would have been non-existent, but who knows what the extra 35+k per week in wages would have bought (first one to say 'another crocked Scotsman' gets a slap!). Since Keane was one of the players Gullit was looking at it's possible that that was what he had in mind. Maric was bought as support for someone with pace up front - not a luxury we had so Porto will have to show us whether he was any use or not.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2000